Journalists and Civilians Alike in the Killing Zone: Kiev Massacres More Non-Combatants With Shells
The work of journalists at the delimitation line between Ukraine and Donbass is a separate matter. In 2014 alone, Ukraine's precision fire killed Andrea Rocchelli, an Italian photojournalist, and his assistant Andrey Mironov in May; Igor Kornelyuk, journalist, and Anton Voloshin, video engineer from Vesti film crew in June; Anatoly Klyan, Channel One cameraman, 2 weeks later; Andrey Stenin, photojournalist of Russia Today international news agency, in August. Igor Uklein, member of our war correspondent Alexander Sladkov's film crew, got shell-shocked and miraculously survived on Thursday night.
Here's the report on it.
It's Krutaya Balka near Gorlovka, the most critical avenue of tank approach of DPR defense. Ukrainian troops can break through it and encircle Donetsk. The positions of the Pyatnashka battalion, whose commander is codenamed Mamai, are shelled day and night.
- Is it Donetsk filter plant?
- Yes.
Donetsk filter plant is at a stone's throw. Ukrainian troops are deployed there.
"Everybody has their nerves frayed, the situation is tense, we're concentrating equipment here".
Downtime is rare. Ukrainian troops use artillery, provoking the return fire.
"It's war. We'll try to break through. They're trying to provoke us. But we're hanging in there. We're going to reinforce the trenches. Dig them deeper and reinforce".
Soldiers keep repairing trenches damaged by explosions.
"Mamai, commander of the battalion, enjoys working with the spade on his own not to set an example, but because that's the way it's done here".
"He's always in the trenches on the frontline with us. It doesn't matter if you are an officer or a soldier, we fight shoulder-to-shoulder like brothers".
Ukrainian positions are 200 m away.
- Well, I see the settlement.
- Yeah, I see the tower.
- The rest of the settlement lies behind the tower.
- Will you go there?
- We have no option. Let's go.
Our film crew divides. Cameraman Pavel Vydrin goes one way, soundman Igor Uklein with another camera, goes the other way.
- Never leave them alone, got it?
- Yes! Is Igor there?
- Don't worry about Igor, I got a man to accompany him. A soldier. OK?
- OK.
Fighting breaks out and an hour passes, then another... The time runs very fast. You hear these flicks? That's them firing at us. Dry flicks. Commander Mamai is managing all positions at the same time.
- 14, 15, how are you?
- The same.
- So, what do you think, commander?
- It's a usual picture.
- Stop shooting unless they're firing at us. Oh, hear that? It's going up!
Explosive shells are cracking over our heads.
- Wow! Another one.
- You'd better go. We'll manage it. OK?
We, correspondents, are asked to return to the shelter.
- Guys, they're firing at us.
- Go, go away. See it?
We heard a flick over us and shrapnel splashed. We saw a dark clot. It was either SPG-9, a mortar, or another unpleasant weapon. Here are Mamai's last words.
"Come with me, I'll show you an automatic grenade launcher (AGL)".
It's the last explosion filmed by our cameraman Igor Uklein.
- Is everyone OK? Is everybody alive?
- Go in here, go in here! Go inside! Go inside! Go inside!
- Is the journalist OK?
- Yes.
- Everybody OK?
- Yes. It got into the trench…
- They shout everybody is alive.
- Is Igor alive?
- Go. Find Mamai.
- OK. Where is Mamai?
- Mamai went on the right. Check there. The explosion was right there.
- Mamai! Hold him by the hands! Quickly!
The commander got wounded.
- Fire up the car, now! Get the car!
- The car for the commander!
- Easy, easy, easy. Calm down. Easy.
- Guys, we mustn't inject anesthetics.
- Easy. Quickly!
- Hold his head! Faster! Careful!
- Hold the commander. Hold him here!
Mamai is carefully put in a jeep and driven away. Shells and bullets don't find their targets.
- Dismiss.
Oleg Mamiev, Pyatnashka commander, died on the operating table 2 hours later. Grassroot people suffer the most from this war. They don't shoot but hide from the shelling in ordinary basements in buildings not intended for defense. Just this week in Gorlovka, Ukrainian artillery destroyed 98 houses, leaving 6 civilians wounded and 4 dead.
Alexander Sladkov, Pavel Vydrin, Igor Uklein Oleg Bondarenko, Andrey Rudenko for Vesti — News of the Week from Donbass.
Members of our military correspondent Alexander Sladkov's film crew got seriously wounded in the same trench where commander Mamai was killed. Cameraman Pavel Vydrin is still shell-shocked in a Donetsk hospital. Our soundman Igor Uklein got more severely shell-shocked, partly lost the hearing, and is now treated there too. By the way, it's not Igor's first shell-shock. He had worked in Afghanistan and Syria. As a Vesti employee, he was awarded the Order of Courage for his work during the war with Georgia in 2008.